Catching up

SO....my dear, dear friend Mindy has told me I need to update my blog. ^_^

Zacy turned 5 - FIVE!!! In May. We didn't have much of a party but we did lots of fun things he wanted to do all week. Not to mention his best buddy Jacob has been staying over with us a lot. Pool is open and has been since April so we've REALLY been enjoying that. I actually cannot believe it's really ours sometimes. I keep thinking I'm on vacation and will need to head home sometime soon.
Boys have finished up spring soccer and loved every minute of it... well except Zac. Mark will never coach him again! lol Anyway, Alex and Ethan just finished their first week of soccer camp and could not have loved anything more! They worked really hard but looked forward to it everyday. Next Ethan will be trying out for Select soccer. I so hope he makes it for his sake but it's going to be super hard. Alex has decided to stick with rec. only soccer.
Other than soccer and the pool we're still working on re-doing the house and the fence around the pool. Painting the family room right now so hopefully I'll have pictures soon.
So there - in a nutshell - sums up the past few months. I know it's not much but I will no doubt be updating much more often again with Miss. Mindy prompting me! She's the best by the way! You know I love ya Mindy!!! ^_^

Ethan with Coach Johnny and Coach Gary from all the way from Manchester England.

Alex with coaches Johnny and Gary Ethan and Zac playing a little ball on Zacy's birthday.

Mommy and Zacy - Happy Birthday Big guy!!
Alex, Ethan and Zac helping open Zac's gifts
Ethan during one of his games
My boys and their puppy dogs. Oh yeah! We got a new puppy. Pepper!!! Great dog!!
The pool! Some day we'll finish that fence!
Zac and Eth hanging out.
The boys at Chattanooga Football Club game. Chattanooga vs Mexico
Me and my Zac in the pool just before he decided he didn't need his vest anymore. He's now a better swimmer than I am!
Mark and I in the pool - as you can tell I was freezing then. Water was 85 today - MUCH better!

Soccer Time Again!

Spring soccer is really gearing up now! Time to call the teams! We've got all three boys playing again this year, Mark coaching again and me as team mom, photographer, assistant coach and all around cheerleader. Ha-ha. We went by to check out where the boys will be playing this year and wow! These are the real deal! No more kiddie fields for Alex and Ethan. This year will be exciting to see how the boys do in a more competitive setting and with kids who have been playing that way for years. Well, I gotta go! Off to call the parents to let them know when and where practices will be!

Blah, Blah, Blah Random Updates!!

So anyway! Van is on it's last leg. Spend $700 right at Christmas to fix it. Beginning of Feb. it's dead. Like forever dead. It's not coming back. :-( Bad news. GOOD NEWS is now we have an Armada! So nice and roomy for the boys. TV keeps them from killing each other too! Six working windows more cup holders than one could ever use about a bjillion storage compartments. Yeah I like it.
My brother and his family came up to see us!! I love it when we get together!! Randy and I are total nut jobs and his poor wife Paige puts up with us. Their daughter Brittany came too but Greg stayed home this time. We had a wonderful visit and even played a little golf out back. Weekend weather was incredible!! Plus Randy fixed just about everything there was to fix around here too. ^_^
OH!! I got a new phone. Trying very hard to get used to that. Touch screen and I are not getting along too well so far.
This week we have a home-school play to go to on Friday and then we leave on Sat. to take my mom back up to Illinois. The boys and I will probably stay for a week maybe two to get her settled back in and see how she does. I am NOT looking forward to that drive again.
We can't be up there too long since the boys soccer will be in full swing again soon. Yay! We just can't wait. They are so excited to get back out there. This year we're going with a more competitive group which is just what Ethan needs. I'm not so sure about Zac and Alex but we'll see.
So there it is. February in a nutshell!

My Sister-in-Law Paige and I

Boys playing outside.
The twins - Randy and Alex. They are TOTALLY alike!!!!
Britt passed out - We were just too wild for her!!!
Brittany snoozing.
Brittany, Mom, Randy, Zac and I
Me and my brother!! ^_^
Boys in the woods again.
Alex

Awwww!!!
The fort!
My Armada!!! Love it!!
My kids...what can I say??
Ethan Shawn!!!

Alex and Zacy

Whoa!

Has it been THAT long??? Geez!! LOVING living in the country! We've had tons of rain though and I've learned that the bridges you must cross on our road flood and also if you happen to get snow down here - you're on you own! No plows, no salt no one coming to get you out here. All the same we're loving it. We've had Thanksgiving (although we weren't really unpacked yet) Christmas and Alex's birthdays here. FINALLY have some paint on the walls and both fireplaces are going although only one is actually all finished...ok, even that one we still need to put the tile down in front. The downstairs is pretty much finished except I want to change the paint color and finish the fireplace. The upstairs living room is coming along - I almost have enough furniture for it now!
In other news my mom has had some health problems including mini strokes. She was down here for Christmas, we were up there for New Year's came home and then were back up there the very next week. My mom was in the Rushville hospital so the boys and I stayed up in Illinois for 2 more weeks. Ethan celebrated his birthday at the hospital with my mom and then later that day our cousin Billy Kay surprised him with a visit and cupcakes. Mom is down here with us for the month of Feb. to see how she does. We're heading back up yet again for the first two weeks in March and will decide then if she is going to try and stay there on her own.

My Best Guys! Zacy's snowball



Snow Fun!

Snow Trampoline!
Happy Birthday Alex! Ethan and Zac with Gram-Gram at the hospital
Zacy washing some grapes. Mmm

Zac "helping" paint.

Illinois

We're Moving to the Country! ...Gonna Eat a Lot of Peaches!

So... we're moving! I have ALWAYS wanted to moved back to the country since about 5 days after I left it 20 years ago. If only it were in Illinois - now that would be perfect! However, since Mark has an awesome job here in Tennessee, that looks like where we'll stay for awhile. The house is bigger and the land is gorgeous!!! LOVE the land. Oh and it has an in ground pool which Mark and the boys love, love, love. I'm not much for water myself but I'm so excited for the boys. The house has more of a country feel than the one we're in now - which is fine but Mark is all about updates...we'll see. I will have a MUCH bigger kitchen, a huge laundry room and a real pantry!! Excitement aside... I am so stressed about packing, leaving here, moving the boys away from their friends - I could go on forever...I worry far too much!
Well, I have far too many things on my mind tonight so I better cut this short before I start to let it all out! Nobody wants to hear all that. LOL

View from the back deck. Front of the house - it looks smaller than it really is I think.
Back of the house
Back yard
Back yard and pool view from deck. Mark cannot wait to replace that wooden fence!
Pool
View from front porch. Sidewalk, part of driveway and front yard.
More front yard
More front yard and driveway.

Camping and S'MORES!!!

The boys have been begging to put up the tent forever so last weekend we did just that - rain and all. You can't sleep in a tent and not have s'mores so we had plenty of those too! We had so much fun. I think we'll have to do it again real soon. :-)

Here we go....
Ethan - what a goof!!!
Alex....bigger goof!


See how much help the boys were! Here's Zac in the tent bag.

I'm cracking up at this picture...just look at their faces.
Zac in the tent bag again!

SOOOOO much help!
The inside.
It's up!

A little play time before s'mores!
Five young boys and fire. Alex wanted to invite girls!! Help me!!!
Ethie
Zacy Joe
Boys and fire!
There's my guys!
Spooky story time.
Love this picture!
There we are - look at the food stuffed in Alex's mouth. Beautiful!
What can I say...that's my Ethan. :-)
Morning time! We made it through the night. :-)
See Ethan back there? He slept with his light saber so he could protect all of us.
Rain pouring off the tent ALL day and ALL night and all day and all night and all day and.....
Still, can't wait to do it again, :-)